Interaction of users with different kinds of computing devices is ever increasing. One example of this involves the proliferation of applications that may be configured in a variety of different ways to support different functionality, e.g., from word processing and spreadsheets to web browsers, games, and so forth. Users may expect applications they use to be available across different devices the users may have and may additionally expect similar experiences across those devices. For example, a developer may choose to make a web browser or version of the browser available for a desktop device, a tablet device, and a game console to accommodate user expectations for a common browsing experience.
Because of the different functionality and capabilities supported by the variety of different devices available, though, it may be difficult to maintain a common experience across devices. Interaction scenarios with a particular web browser, for instance, may vary on different devices in part because different input modalities are available for the different devices. A traditional browsing experience with a desktop computer involves using a mouse for browser navigation, which enables considerable control to select links, position the cursor and so forth. In other settings that use different input modalities, though, it may be difficult to attain comparable cursor control. For example, while controllers for a game console are well suited for game play, using a controller to manipulate a cursor can be quite challenging because translating analog controller input signals into granular “mouse-like” move commands is not trivial. Likewise, touch-based navigation of an application user interface on a tablet and mobile devices may be associated with similar challenges. Thus, there may be a gap between expectations of users for cross device experiences with browsers and other applications, and actual experiences that have traditionally been made available.